1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for momentarily mounting a sliding door to a vehicle body.
2. Background and Summary of the Invention
In the manufacturing process of vehicles it is usual to mount the vehicle doors to the vehicle body already before the vehicle is moved through the so-called finish area and in particular in the paint shop. At this time the vehicle doors should impede work at the vehicle as little as possible. With doors that are pivotally mounted to the vehicle body this is no problem insofar as the doors can be pivoted to an opening position so as to provide for easy access.
This is not possible with sliding doors. In a prior art system the sliding door was guided by means of rollers in sliding door rails of the vehicle body. This system was relatively complex both in structure and operation. In particular it impeded access to certain areas of the vehicle body and the door which made working in the finish area and in particular in the paint shop more difficult. Furthermore, such a system caused some severe accidents in that the sliding door was torn off from its anchoring means due to rollers being jammed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for momentarily holding a sliding door to a vehicle body which impedes working at the vehicle body and the sliding door during the vehicle manufacturing process as little as possible. Furthermore, such device should be adapted to be operated and in particular to be mounted and dismounted in an extremely simple manner.
The invention provides a device for momentarily mounting a sliding door to the B column of a vehicle body, comprising a securing mechanism adapted to be removably secured to said B column, a holding mechanism for removably holding said sliding door and pivot means for pivotally interconnecting said securing mechanism and said holding mechanism so as to enable said sliding door held by said holding mechanism to be rotated between opening and closing positions when said securing mechanism has been secured to said B column, said securing mechanism, said holding mechanism and said pivot means forming a unitary structure.
Preferably, the securing mechanism includes an elongated securing member adapted to be secured to an inner surface of said B column so as to extend vertically, and a pair of spaced transverse arms extending from said securing member transversely so as to extend in a direction opposite of said sliding door when said securing member has been secured to said B column.
Preferably, the holding mechanism includes a pair of round brackets each having one end thereof pivotally connected to a free end of said transverse arms by said pivot means such that said round brackets extend about the B column within said vehicle when said securing member has been secured to said B column, and an elongated holding member being fixedly connected to respective other ends of said round brackets and adapted to removably hold said sliding door.
The device of the present invention allows to rotate the sliding door--in a manner similar to a door pivotally mounted to the vehicle body--between opening and closing positions. This provides for easy access to the vehicle so that respective working operations can be performed in a precise and reliable manner. Because the device is an integral structural unit, it may be easily mounted and dismounted to and from the vehicle body. Furthermore, the device of the invention substantially reduces the risk of accidents. dr